Well the semester is drawing to a close now. This may be the last or second to last post. Anyways I hope you (Dear Reader) have enjoyed my random thoughts on immigration.
Now, onto something that really grinds my gears.
http://nbclatino.com/2013/05/01/paul-ryan-illegal-immigration-is-easy-and-then-people-have-anchor-babies/
Ahem, and I quote from Republican and former running mate to Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan: Illegal immigration is easy and then people have anchor babies.
End Quote.
Okay, problem number one, people DIE all the time on the border. I already did some math on how the American border killed more people than the Berlin Wall. Two, regular law enforcement, Border Patrol and the National Guard (I could not find the article, but it was something about manning cameras) do a pretty decent job finding and deporting undocumented immigrants. It is not easy to cross the border.
On a related note, the 1990 film Journey of Hope is a good fictional film about undocumented immigrants. Specifically Turks trying to get into Switzerland. I did not find it online, but if you're interested it exists at least.
The anchor babies issue is something I remember being discussed a lot on the border, but I have not heard it brought up in the last few years until now. I do not see the term as offensive as some do, but it is very dehumanizing. Whenever I heard it discussed, it was never about bettering the mother or the father, as Ryan explicitly says, but about giving the child a chance at a better future the parents could not give the child in their home country. So the people who absolutely hate 'illegal immigrants' who I've talked to on the border, believe they at least do what they do for altruistic reasons.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Today in class there was a handout. It is the 'Outline of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013'. So I went over it a little (it's very dry reading) and I found an interesting tidbit on the first page. The second goal for border security is "an Effectiveness Rate of 90% in a fiscal year for all High Risk Sectors along the Southern Border". A 'High Risk Border Sector' are "border sectors where apprehensions are above 30,000 individuals per year." I can see how this may make sense to some people, but my question is, if undocumented immigrants are, you know, undocumented, and thus we are unsure of how many are entering the country, how do we (well, Border Patrol) know if 90% of undocumented immigrants are apprehended. I can see two clerks in uniforms late at night saying 'eh, we caught 27,000, let's call it a fiscal year.' (I've only actually been friends with one Border Patrol Agent from a boxing class.) On the way North to Tucson there is a security checkpoint and I've never been searched. I believe it is because my whole family is white.
Different thought. The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 and it fell in 1989. There were about 40,000 East German escapees in that time period. There were about 700 deaths, give or take 200 because it's Communist statistics. Okay. Now for the U.S. Mexican border. From 1998 to 2004 (a little out of date) 1,954 people died. I could not find an exact statistic for those years for undocumented immigrants entering the U.S., but this is incredibly surprising. Keep in mind East German border guards had explicit shoot to kill orders. Whatever the statistics are now, this was a decade ago. With the 'Great Recession' I'm sure the numbers have gone down, but I do not want to check anymore. Our border has killed more people than the Berlin Wall.
Dennis, Mike (2000). The Rise and Fall of the German Democratic Republic, 1945–90. Harlow: Longman.
Jarausch, Konrad Hugo (1994). The rush to German unity. New York City: Oxford University Press US.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E4DB163CF930A35752C1A9629C8B63
Different thought. The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 and it fell in 1989. There were about 40,000 East German escapees in that time period. There were about 700 deaths, give or take 200 because it's Communist statistics. Okay. Now for the U.S. Mexican border. From 1998 to 2004 (a little out of date) 1,954 people died. I could not find an exact statistic for those years for undocumented immigrants entering the U.S., but this is incredibly surprising. Keep in mind East German border guards had explicit shoot to kill orders. Whatever the statistics are now, this was a decade ago. With the 'Great Recession' I'm sure the numbers have gone down, but I do not want to check anymore. Our border has killed more people than the Berlin Wall.
Dennis, Mike (2000). The Rise and Fall of the German Democratic Republic, 1945–90. Harlow: Longman.
Jarausch, Konrad Hugo (1994). The rush to German unity. New York City: Oxford University Press US.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E4DB163CF930A35752C1A9629C8B63
Monday, April 1, 2013
So today I was talking with a friend and her associate when the conversation turned to where I live when I'm not at NAU. Learning that it is a border town the associate expressed some measure of surprise at 'how white you are'. I'm definitely 'white', but it was a startling revelation that she would expect someone to be a certain 'color' based on where they live. I'm not sure if it constitutes racism, but it is definitely an idea I do not encounter often.
Would she expect someone from Hawaii to be white, Hawaiian, or asian? I remember (years ago) watching a documentary on 'illegal' immigration and how 60% of a small Alaskan town were Hispanic or Latino. Bottom line: race and ethnicity do not know borders.
Would she expect someone from Hawaii to be white, Hawaiian, or asian? I remember (years ago) watching a documentary on 'illegal' immigration and how 60% of a small Alaskan town were Hispanic or Latino. Bottom line: race and ethnicity do not know borders.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Last week was Spring Break, so yeah, long time since an update.
I was perusing NBC Latino (for ideas for this blog) when I saw this:
http://nbclatino.com/2013/03/29/after-pressure-from-gop-rep-young-utters-the-words-i-apologize/
GOP Representative Young recently apologized for using the term 'wetback' to refer to farm laborers. This by itself actually does not incite much emotion in me. What does get me peeved is that I heard it from no other news organization. I check CNN, Time, and Foreign Policy daily and I didn't hear about this. I Googled 'msnbc rep young' and 'cnn rep young' and they did report on it, but I'm certain if they used a racial slur that targets blacks (I find 'African-American' to be a poor term for several reasons), it'd be absolutely plastered on the news and I would have heard about it the day it happened. I've heard arguments over 'oversensitivity' in reference to certain phrases (Jeremy Lin's 'Chink in the Armor') but with this issue, the sensitivity may not be high enough.
Sure Representative Young is 79 years old and he was alive during Operation Wetback (it's from the 50's), but come on, that's not really a valid excuse here. It's just indicative of the Republican party in a lot of ways. Nobody is surprised that a Republican said it, but I guarantee if a Democrat said something like this everyone would be shocked. (I'm apolitical right now, please don't assume I'm picking sides.)
I was perusing NBC Latino (for ideas for this blog) when I saw this:
http://nbclatino.com/2013/03/29/after-pressure-from-gop-rep-young-utters-the-words-i-apologize/
GOP Representative Young recently apologized for using the term 'wetback' to refer to farm laborers. This by itself actually does not incite much emotion in me. What does get me peeved is that I heard it from no other news organization. I check CNN, Time, and Foreign Policy daily and I didn't hear about this. I Googled 'msnbc rep young' and 'cnn rep young' and they did report on it, but I'm certain if they used a racial slur that targets blacks (I find 'African-American' to be a poor term for several reasons), it'd be absolutely plastered on the news and I would have heard about it the day it happened. I've heard arguments over 'oversensitivity' in reference to certain phrases (Jeremy Lin's 'Chink in the Armor') but with this issue, the sensitivity may not be high enough.
Sure Representative Young is 79 years old and he was alive during Operation Wetback (it's from the 50's), but come on, that's not really a valid excuse here. It's just indicative of the Republican party in a lot of ways. Nobody is surprised that a Republican said it, but I guarantee if a Democrat said something like this everyone would be shocked. (I'm apolitical right now, please don't assume I'm picking sides.)
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
It's been too long since a post, so sorry about that readers.
So the recent sequestration has actually stopped the tuition assistance program active duty Army service members.
http://nbclatino.com/2013/03/08/army-suspends-popular-tuition-assistance-program-because-of-sequester-in-blow-to-soldiers/
Well, what does this have to do with immigration? The Colorado House just gave approval to a bill that gives in-state tuition to 'illegal' immigrants. The bill was in the making for ten years though, far before 'sequestration' was known. On its own I don't find a problem with that much. Having 'illegals' educated just means that they can contribute more to society. I am familiar with many of the negative stereotypes, so, who would actually want them to be as illiterate and uneducated as those stereotypes? If this group is unable to access education (especially in an age where it considered essential to have a bachelor's degree, regardless if it is or not) then we're practically repressing them.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22722022/colorado-house-takes-up-state-tuition-illegal-immigrants
Now, as someone familiar with Army personnel, I take a different stance. I just feel that the colorado House may need some reordering in their priorities. Give in-state tuition to all vets maybe? Sure, it can be argued vets already get enough assistance with collegiate level education, but really? Can't they at least get priority? The tuition assistance program is it unless someone counts the post-9/11 GI Bill, and that is only for after the service.
I am all for the former group to be educated and much more productive in America, but don't forget about the soldiers. We just had them roll through two wars.
Our country is in a huge amount of debt anyways, where is the money to fund this bill?
So the recent sequestration has actually stopped the tuition assistance program active duty Army service members.
http://nbclatino.com/2013/03/08/army-suspends-popular-tuition-assistance-program-because-of-sequester-in-blow-to-soldiers/
Well, what does this have to do with immigration? The Colorado House just gave approval to a bill that gives in-state tuition to 'illegal' immigrants. The bill was in the making for ten years though, far before 'sequestration' was known. On its own I don't find a problem with that much. Having 'illegals' educated just means that they can contribute more to society. I am familiar with many of the negative stereotypes, so, who would actually want them to be as illiterate and uneducated as those stereotypes? If this group is unable to access education (especially in an age where it considered essential to have a bachelor's degree, regardless if it is or not) then we're practically repressing them.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22722022/colorado-house-takes-up-state-tuition-illegal-immigrants
Now, as someone familiar with Army personnel, I take a different stance. I just feel that the colorado House may need some reordering in their priorities. Give in-state tuition to all vets maybe? Sure, it can be argued vets already get enough assistance with collegiate level education, but really? Can't they at least get priority? The tuition assistance program is it unless someone counts the post-9/11 GI Bill, and that is only for after the service.
I am all for the former group to be educated and much more productive in America, but don't forget about the soldiers. We just had them roll through two wars.
Our country is in a huge amount of debt anyways, where is the money to fund this bill?
Friday, February 15, 2013
I have no idea what's up with immigration in this country. The more I learn, the more confused I become.
http://nbclatino.com/2013/02/04/opinion-this-years-best-super-bowl-ad-so-god-made-a-farmer-ignores-reality/#.URBr9jhf7f0.twitter
We cannot even seem to admit people without white skin even exist sometimes.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Week 3
Assigned material:
Operation Gatekeeper and Beyond by Joseph Nevins, 2nd edition-Chapters 1, 2, and 3
A Generation Gap Over Immigration by Damien Cave-http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/us/18divide.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
I remember reading part of the recent Supreme Court verdict about SB 1070 and I quote from memory from CNN quoting SCOTUS "that traditionally crossing national boundaries has not been a crime". (I couldn't find it, but you're welcome to try-http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-182b5e1.pdf) Anyways, we've turned crossing the border into a crime and dehumanized the perpetrators with the term 'illegal'. Now we have tried enforcing this barrier and America is not doing an admirable job. (I can link another article here! http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/the-u-s-mexico-borders-150-miles-of-hell-20130103?page=1 [Not sure if this was the original piece I read with the big font that proclaimed 'Iraq on the Border' but its identical subject matter]) It seems to be a case of diminishing returns, and further judging by the weed culture at NAU, we really have a problem with enforcing the border, even after putting thousands of people and millions of dollars into it.
So there's actually an opinion gap on immigrants from different age groups. Baby boomers and older Americans are more hostile while the younger generations are more open. All age groups say that it's 'a very serious problem' though. The article seems to conclude that younger people are just more adaptable. It's not true for everyone though (me). I knew guys from Naco (which is pretty close to Bisbee) who got beaten up, bullied, and harassed if they didn't know Spanish, so putting up with that and learning Spanish sounds pretty adaptable to me. On the other hand, kids these days won't work for pennies to pick food on farms for ten hours a day. So economically we need low cost high labor immigrants. The Foreign Policy article below gives some additional points on the matter.
Foreign Policy is great and I urge you (yes, you specifically, your the reader) to check out their articles, like this related one.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/29/think_again_immigration_reform_united_states
On the other side of the coin, Professor Hanson has some well written arguments.
http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/hanson120512B.html (Slightly related article, but it has been a while since he has focused on immigration. His experiences on a family farm in Southern California also prove enlightening.)
I used to read his writing pretty regularly, and even when I do not agree, he has a large (mostly right-leaning, possibly older) audience and it helps to know what my fellow Americans are reading.
So to wrap up, we need immigrants of all stripes, for PhD's to migrant workers, and stem crime such as the drug trade and human trafficking. I have absolutely no idea on what policy decisions can help.
*Edit-Last paragraph first line- from PhD's
Operation Gatekeeper and Beyond by Joseph Nevins, 2nd edition-Chapters 1, 2, and 3
A Generation Gap Over Immigration by Damien Cave-http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/us/18divide.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
I remember reading part of the recent Supreme Court verdict about SB 1070 and I quote from memory from CNN quoting SCOTUS "that traditionally crossing national boundaries has not been a crime". (I couldn't find it, but you're welcome to try-http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-182b5e1.pdf) Anyways, we've turned crossing the border into a crime and dehumanized the perpetrators with the term 'illegal'. Now we have tried enforcing this barrier and America is not doing an admirable job. (I can link another article here! http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/the-u-s-mexico-borders-150-miles-of-hell-20130103?page=1 [Not sure if this was the original piece I read with the big font that proclaimed 'Iraq on the Border' but its identical subject matter]) It seems to be a case of diminishing returns, and further judging by the weed culture at NAU, we really have a problem with enforcing the border, even after putting thousands of people and millions of dollars into it.
So there's actually an opinion gap on immigrants from different age groups. Baby boomers and older Americans are more hostile while the younger generations are more open. All age groups say that it's 'a very serious problem' though. The article seems to conclude that younger people are just more adaptable. It's not true for everyone though (me). I knew guys from Naco (which is pretty close to Bisbee) who got beaten up, bullied, and harassed if they didn't know Spanish, so putting up with that and learning Spanish sounds pretty adaptable to me. On the other hand, kids these days won't work for pennies to pick food on farms for ten hours a day. So economically we need low cost high labor immigrants. The Foreign Policy article below gives some additional points on the matter.
Foreign Policy is great and I urge you (yes, you specifically, your the reader) to check out their articles, like this related one.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/01/29/think_again_immigration_reform_united_states
On the other side of the coin, Professor Hanson has some well written arguments.
http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/hanson120512B.html (Slightly related article, but it has been a while since he has focused on immigration. His experiences on a family farm in Southern California also prove enlightening.)
I used to read his writing pretty regularly, and even when I do not agree, he has a large (mostly right-leaning, possibly older) audience and it helps to know what my fellow Americans are reading.
So to wrap up, we need immigrants of all stripes, for PhD's to migrant workers, and stem crime such as the drug trade and human trafficking. I have absolutely no idea on what policy decisions can help.
*Edit-Last paragraph first line- from PhD's
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